Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet K1 Review

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IdeaPad Tablet K1 Design

It might not be as thin as the iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1 but Lenovo's design has a high quality fit and finish to it that is distinctly IdeaPad-esque. The almost pewter color frame of the IdeaPad Tablet K1 feels rigid and strong in the hand, more-so even than the Asus Transformer. The tablet is a bit on the hefty side though, at 1.5lbs, but that's still pretty light, so you'll live.

The back of the K1 unit that we received wasn't the glossy, colored version that you may have seen. Instead we got a flat black rubberized surface on our K1, which made it completely resistant to fingerprints back there, as well as "zero skid" on a desk or coffee table. We're actually quite fond of the backing on this slate, and the dual stereo speakers residing on the back bezel, feel (and sound) relatively well placed as well. If you're considering a K1, we'd suggest going with this finish as it will wear far better than the glossy painted surfaces that are available on other models. We should note that the backing of the K1 is not removable like Toshiba's Thrive and its battery is not user serviceable.

Though the K1 may be .5 inches thick at its thickest point, Lenevo designed its casing with tapered edges all around, so it actually doesn't look as bulky as you might think. Overall the feel is decidedly less bulky than that of the Toshiba Thrive, though the K1 is only .15 inches thinner. The K1's design is fairly minimalistic with only micro HDMI, headphone, speaker and a docking port available beyond its micro SD card slot. There is a screen orientation lock switch available on the K1, which is a nice addition. However, what's perhaps most interesting is the K1's screen capture button on the front face of the tablet on the right side of its bezel (left-hand shot, top of this page). Pressing and holding this button down a couple of seconds provides a perfect screen capture of whatever is on the tablet at that time.

A few tablets have this capability as a function mapping off already dedicated buttons but this was the first time we've seen a dedicated button for the function and it was a welcome feature to use. It helped immensely in preparing screen captures for the following page of software and user experience coverage that we have for you next.